Snuffy's 1st Day of School/Transcript

(Opening shot: fade in to a stretch of the blue sky. We hear the sound of propelling; Snuffy flies into view.)

Narrator: It was a perfectly wonderful morning for little Snuffy the Skywriter. (Snuffy hums to himself under the following.) The breeze was warm, the sun was bright, and the scent of flowers was in the air. It seemed like nothing could ruin this day for Snuffy. Nothing that is, until...

(In an instant, he is greeted by the arrival of two jet planes—one blue, one light violet—as they come rocketing into view next to him. He stops humming, and they proceed in a triangular formation)

Jay Jay: Snuffy!Tracy: Hey, Snuffy!Snuffy: Oh, hi, Jay Jay. Hi, Tracy.Tracy: Are you ready for your first day of school tomorrow?Snuffy:(jittering in place, freaking out)Ohhhh noooo!!! Why did you remind me?!

(Close-up on the two jet planes.)

Jay Jay: What's the matter, little guy? Tomorrow will be a great day for you! You're gonna be going to the Michael O. Tarry School—that's where Tracy and I went when we were little!Snuffy: Bu-bu...but I'm scared of going!Jay Jay:(a bit teasingly) Is that what's bothering you?Tracy: Don't worry. Lots of kids are a little scared of their first day of school.

(Side view of the trio; Snuffy begins to panic.)

Snuffy: I-I'm a lot scared. What if I don't like the teacher?Jay Jay: But you will!Snuffy:(panting) W-what if the teacher doesn't like me?Tracy: Of course, the teacher will like you.Snuffy:(completely freaked out) A-and what if the work is t-too hard...and I don't know anybody...and I miss you guys... (stammering) and I-and-and-and I-and-and-Jay Jay:(interrupting) Hey, little buddy, hold on before you blow a gasket.

Jaunty piano ballad, slow 4 (D major, modulating to F major)

Tracy: Listen, Snuffy. School is fun, and the teacher and other kids help you with the stuff you don't know. Listen.

Xylophone/flute/light percussion in

(Head-on view of the trio: Tracy ferrises over Jay Jay and hovers to Snuffy's opposite side.)

Tracy: Wouldn't you like to learn to say your ABC's?Jay Jay: And learn to read just what you please?Tracy: Wouldn't you like to know what makes a river flow?Jay Jay: And how a hive of honey comes from bees?

Drums in

(Tracy hovers back to her original position, and Jay Jay does a fast barrel roll in time.)

Jay Jay: Wouldn't you like to find out how a planet spins around?Tracy: Or how a single letter makes a sound?

Horns in

Jay Jay, Tracy: If you'd like some special friends
Then, there's a place I'd recommend
It's the very merry Michael O. Tarry School

Xylophone out, double time feel

Tracy: Wouldn't you like to learn to paint a bright, blue sky?(Jay Jay darts from one corner of the screen to another.)Jay Jay: And how a heavy hummingbird can fly?

Strings in

(One by one, each plane flies closer in time with their lines; the next four are spoken rather than sung.)

Snuffy: What if I'm scared?Tracy: What if it's fun?Snuffy: What if I'm slow?Jay Jay: What if you won?(They gradually float backwards to their original positions.)Jay Jay, Tracy: At the very merry Michael O. Tarry
Ask someone who's been there already
Very merry Michael O. Tarry SchoolTracy: It's so cool!Jay Jay, Tracy: That's the very merry Michael O. Tarry School

Song ends on a stinger

Tracy: So, there's really nothing to be afraid of tomorrow, Snuffy. It'll be fun, we promise.Jay Jay: Yeah. Best thing for you to do now is get a good night's sleep so you're ready for your first day of school.Snuffy: Well...if you say so.

(They zoom o.s.; dissolve to an establishing shot of Tarrytown Airport at night. Zoom in slowly on the kids' hangar.)

Narrator: That night, Snuffy tried to follow Jay Jay and Tracy's advice to get a good night's sleep.

(Dissolve to the interior of the kids' hangar; both Jay Jay and Tracy have turned in and are snoring softly. Snuffy, still awake, taxis into view.)

Narrator: But poor Snuffy didn't sleep well. He worried and worried about the first day of school. Then, suddenly, he had an idea.

(Snuffy's eyes widen and his mouth drops open in turn on the end of this.)

Snuffy: I know what to do, and I'll do it first thing in the morning.

(A short pause, and the Skywriter voices a soft yawn, before closing his eyes and lowering his head, falling fast asleep. Dissolve to an overview of the airport; now it is sunrise. Zoom in on the kids' hangar and dissolve to the interior of it. Both jet planes are waking up, yawning briefly before getting themselves active; Snuffy is not here.)

* Jay Jay: Snuffy! This is no time to play Hide and Seek! We've got to get to school!

(Back outside; he turns to Tracy.)

Jay Jay: I don't see him anywhere, Tracy.Tracy: I wonder if he's hiding because he's afraid of school.Jay Jay: I didn't even think of that, but where could he be? (Herky hovers over to them.)Herky: Don't think he went to Tar-r-rytown, do ya?Tracy: Well, he could of. Maybe we'd better look for him there.Jay Jay: C'mon, let's go!

(Dissolve to an aerial shot of downtown; both jet planes and the helicopter hover through.)

(All three zoom upward as they shout; dissolve to Snuffy at Lightning Bug Lake.)

(Dissolve to ground level of the school playground; the student enters, his escorters save Jay Jay follow up behind.)

Snuffy: It's...Oscar!

(Indeed he is; the old biplane reveals himself when mentioned.

(Snuffy smiles happily at his teacher; the view widens to frame the other three, Jay Jay has joined them.)

(Snuffy and Oscar exit, before Herky hovers out of frame followed by Jay Jay and Tracy trading smiles that best translate to, "Our work here is done." They taxi away, and the scene dissolves to an establishing shot of Tarrytown, pulling back slowly. Fade to black.)